Need a "No Step Back Tanks for Dummies" (Early Game)

[eastcoastceojam]

I've been mostly ignoring the Tank Designer in the No Step Back DLC until now, and I could use some help with some "good enough" tank designs for the early game in patch 1.11.4.

I'm hoping for something generic, that would work for most large nations in Continental Europe, and be cheap enough to research, produce, and supply in decent quantities by mid-1939. I'm not expecting the "best tank" design, just something that is "good enough" to be competitive and leverages the new DLC's bells and whistles.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cavalry]

Early game just use the starting design, because xp is quite expensive.
Just build the "regular" tank variant like real life is a good choice.

Compare vs older patch, now you can just upgrade the gun to get the full benefit of piercing and attack, and keep the production efficiency high.
And you can design for cheaper, not just stronger.
Tank get the regular, all purpose cannon, only get the high velocity gun if you know what you need.
TD use fixed turret, can use the "cheated" tank cannon, or the high-velocity cannon. If you don't have access to high velocity gun yet, then consider heavy cannon for medium chassis.

Auto cannon (not AA) is for upgrade obsolete light tank cannon to boost soft attack, when the light cannon can no longer piercing anything. You can use them as armor recon to boost soft attack at zero width, +50% with SF-Right branch. I even start building old light tank in 1942, with a version optimized for cheap cost, min armor. Only 209 IC for this armor recon, vs 300 starting BT-7.

 

[sdplissken]

I've been mostly ignoring the Tank Designer in the No Step Back DLC until now, and I could use some help with some "good enough" tank designs for the early game in patch 1.11.4.

I'm hoping for something generic, that would work for most large nations in Continental Europe, and be cheap enough to research, produce, and supply in decent quantities by mid-1939. I'm not expecting the "best tank" design, just something that is "good enough" to be competitive and leverages the new DLC's bells and whistles.

Thanks in advance!

My tactic as of late is to produce tanks with heavy machine guns with the 1936 chassis. Depending on the minor I play you can quite easily get to 1000 tanks depending on factories you use as even a medium tank with heavy machine gun is only like 6 or 7 on production. When 38-39 rolls around I start pumping converting them with the latest guns and upgrades, this goes much more quickly due to the conversion bonuses. Protip make the turret a 3 person because that adds a lot of time on refit

 

[Anaraxes]

Protip make the turret a 3 person because that adds a lot of time on refit

Just for clarity, you mean make the turret on the initial machinegun tank a 3 person, because replacing the turret adds a lot of time on refit?

My tip: don't overlook the engine/armor +/- buttons in the lower right. They're how you get speed or armor into your tank, not just the researched techs. You don't pick better modules for those upgrades as with the ship designer; it's more the pre-NSB-style "bump up a numerical scale". The default engine 0, for instance, is quite slow compared to the "standard" pre-upgrade tanks the game provided before NSB.

 

[sdplissken]

Just for clarity, you mean make the turret on the initial machinegun tank a 3 person, because replacing the turret adds a lot of time on refit?

My tip: don't overlook the engine/armor +/- buttons in the lower right. They're how you get speed or armor into your tank, not just the researched techs. You don't pick better modules for those upgrades; it's more a the pre-NSB-style "bump up a numerical scale". The default engine 0, for instance, is quite slow compared to the "standard" pre-upgrade tanks the game provided before NSB.

That's what I mean, if you plan to refit them later then make a three-man turret. The refit is quite a bit higher. I'm curious as to if i can refit higher armor with sloped and see if that makes a difference also, it might make things a bit better if you are adding more armor later with sloped from the beginning.

 

[Znail]

The main issue with these advices is that refitting is bugged right now and the only bonus you get from it is from bonuses to conversion speed.

 

[sdplissken]

The main issue with these advices is that refitting is bugged right now and the only bonus you get from it is from bonuses to conversion speed.

And what bonsues are you supposed to get? It retains your production efficiency mostly changing between versions, and it goes really quickly with minimum factories I can easily convert. If the first tank you produced is only 6-7 production, then you refit maybe another 6-7 prod, the second refit you are getting a huge bonus. It's technially faster than doing it all at one time, and you can start producing many units immediately.

 

[Znail]

And what bonsues are you supposed to get? It retains your production efficiency mostly changing between versions, and it goes really quickly with minimum factories I can easily convert. If the first tank you produced is only 6-7 production, then you refit maybe another 6-7 prod, the second refit you are getting a huge bonus. It's technially faster than doing it all at one time, and you can start producing many units immediately.

But you are currently not paying the 6-7 additional production, but the full cost of the new tank, that is the bug.

 

[Jays298]

IMO it is a balance between armor, soft attack, speed, and IC cost. Also early game role.

My current light tanks are close support gun, wet ammo, extra ammo, extra ammo. That gives me a good attack and about double the defense (12 defense I think) which is important if you are using tanks as volunteers or they get attacked after advancing.

Mid war I think tanks get a more specific role.

 

[PorkchopSandwiches247]

I have two strategies for tanks so far:

For ones paired with motorized, I go for tank destroyers/spgs and try to max out on armor and/or damage. You get enough breakthrough with the motorized already that I dont think its worthwhile to use normal tanks, theyre too expensive imho to get to the 50% hardness or more you want in an armored division for those unique battle tactics.

Alternatively, you can pair a single heavy tank battalion with leg infantry and artillery, since theyre slow anyway, and you can often get the no-penetration bonus with just that one tank at fairly low cost. The breakthrough from that one tank battalion can go a long way too. You can use those divisions to to ‘break the ice’ for faster divisions. Its fun to pair it with mountaineers.

Worked pretty good for me so far, but always up for more experimentation.

I also havent gotten the chance yet, but Im betting you can make a hilariously powerful light recon tank with the Superior Firepower doctrine. Dump all the damage you can into a light tank variant, and those +50% damage bonus from the right side of the doctrine (for support companies) will boost your soft attack like crazy for pretty low cost.

 

[sdplissken]

But you are currently not paying the 6-7 additional production, but the full cost of the new tank, that is the bug.

I’m playing on a beta version, they’ve corrected that

 

[Dracupuncture]

early on i like going cheap and nasty, highest soft attack with lowest possible production cost and a bit of armor to boot.

make a 12 division 20 width, then use 6 on one province (and 6 on another) to pincer whilst the infantry fill the gaps, that way you get some good encirclements and can steal supply hubs.

 

[Xiziz]

Im still playing around with a lot of different designs.

Currently im running a 2mt,1mtd,4mot,1mspaa with eng, Log, mnt, a-rec and light flame support. (16cw) all harmonized to 8km/h. Very expensive but high reliability designs.

Flame tank is cheap as possible due to the battalion debuff(-50% sa/ha/def/brk/arm).

Main medium tank is a basic with 29sa, 62arm and 27brk. Only costs Steel. The td is the same design with a small hv gun and the radio replaced with another mg.

Light tank concentrates on brk and arm, goes into recon only, lots of forreign tanks go here too.

Spaa has a 1 man turret and AA gun otherwise the same as td, no radio and 62 armour.

These have preformed well up to barbarossa, could reduce armour for next run, neither France nor UK had AT in their divisions yet, france had loads of light tanks in the field though at 16 piercing. (my div armour is about 30 if I recall correctly)

For barbarossa ive started building tigers and panthers, replacing the td with heavy and two of the mot with mech. Get to test then out next session. 100+arm, 60+brk on both the mediums and heavy.

Did a russa game with 13ic mediums that got the job done too, but the inf had to help them push or they would run out of steam fast.